Sylvie Willis
Diesel fuel is a distillate of petroleum fuel oil, and is produced by the fractional distillation of crude oil. The process of refining crude oil into diesel fuel involves heating the viscous liquid to over 400 degrees Celsius, turning it into a vapour, which is then cooled and separated into various distillates. The specific proportions of shorter hydrocarbon chain distillates are then recombined to create diesel fuel. This process can also be applied to used motor oil to create diesel fuel.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Diesel fuel type | Distillate fuel oil, biodiesel, biomass to liquid (BTL), gas to liquid (GTL) diesel, petrodiesel, clear diesel, dyed diesel, winterized diesel, bio-diesel, ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) |
| Crude oil type | Petroleum crude oil, high-gravity crude oil, low-gravity crude oil |
| Crude oil composition | Hydrocarbons (chains of hydrogen and carbon) of three major classes: paraffinic, naphthenic (or cycloparaffinic), and aromatic hydrocarbons |
| Crude oil characteristics | Can vary from thin light-colored brownish or greenish crude oils of low density, to thick and black oils resembling melted tar |
| Refining process | Heating crude oil to over 400°C to turn it into vapour, fractional distillation, catalytic cracking, hydrotreating |
| Diesel fuel characteristics | High boiling point, large hydrocarbons, volatile, easily flowing, easily ignited, high viscosity, low temperature operability, sulfur content |
| Diesel fuel use | Used in diesel engines, motor vehicles, boats, generators, backup and emergency power supply |
| Diesel fuel production | 11-12 gallons of diesel fuel from each 42-gallon barrel of crude oil |
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What You'll Learn
Crude oil distillation
Crude oil is a naturally occurring liquid that can be refined into various fuels and other petroleum-based products. Crude oil distillation is the process of separating the different compounds so that they can be used individually. These can be fuels, like kerosene, diesel, and petroleum, or raw materials for other chemical processes, like naphtha.
Crude oil is a mixture of a variety of different hydrocarbons, all of which have different boiling points. Crude oil distillation makes use of these different boiling points of each fraction. The distillation process can be broken into two basic steps: atmospheric distillation and vacuum distillation.
Firstly, the crude oil is heated to around 370°C at atmospheric pressure. This causes it to evaporate. The vapor is then pumped into a fractionating column. This column varies in temperature: the bottom, where the crude oil enters, is very hot, but the column becomes progressively cooler towards the top. The column is divided throughout its height by fractional trays. These are perforated platforms fitted with bubble caps. The vapor must pass through each platform as it rises through the column, causing it to cool down and recondense. As the vapor rises, shorter hydrocarbon chains begin to liquefy. Fuel oil emerges when the vapor cools down below 370°C. This process continues up the tower, with various distillates emerging as the vapor cools further.
After distillation, heavy, lower-value distillation fractions can be processed further into lighter, higher-value products such as gasoline. At this point, fractions from the distillation units are transformed into streams (intermediate components) that eventually become finished products. The most widely used conversion method is called cracking because it uses heat, pressure, catalysts, and sometimes hydrogen to crack heavy hydrocarbon molecules into lighter ones.
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Diesel fuel additives
Cetane Boosters
Some diesel fuel additives contain cetane boosters, which improve combustion and engine performance. AR6500, for example, boosts the cetane number (CN) of diesel fuel by up to 8 points. This additive also helps to prevent carbon build-up and keep injectors clean. The higher the CN, the more efficiently the engine operates.
Lubricity Enhancers
Lubricity enhancers are another type of additive that improves the lubrication of the fuel system, reducing friction and potential wear and tear on the engine. AR6500 and LX4 Lubricity Extreme are examples of additives that improve lubricity.
Detergents and Cleaners
Winter Additives
Cold weather can be particularly harsh on diesel engines, so winter-specific additives are available to improve engine performance in cold conditions. Diesel Winter Anti-Gel, for example, helps to improve cold starts, prevent icing and gelling, and reduce fuel line freeze. Diesel Winter Rescue is another additive that can be used in emergencies to de-ice fuel filters and restore engine power.
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Diesel fuel sources
Diesel fuel, also known as diesel oil, heavy oil, or simply diesel, is a liquid fuel designed for use in diesel engines. These engines are a type of internal combustion engine in which fuel ignition occurs without a spark due to the compression of inlet air and the subsequent injection of fuel. Diesel fuel is produced from various sources, with petroleum being the most common.
Petroleum Diesel
Petroleum diesel is a fractional distillate of petroleum fuel oil produced by the fractional distillation of crude oil between 200 and 350 °C at atmospheric pressure. Crude oil is heated to over 400 °C, turning it into vapour, which then enters a fractional distillation tower. As the vapour rises and cools, it reaches a temperature where the hydrocarbon chains return to a liquid state. Distillation plates capture these liquids, with shorter hydrocarbon chains liquefying first and longer chains resulting in asphalt or bitumen. The distillates from these shorter chains can be recombined in specific proportions to create diesel fuel.
Alternative Sources
While petroleum diesel is the most common, alternative sources for diesel fuel are being developed and adopted, such as biodiesel, biomass-to-liquid (BTL), and gas-to-liquid (GTL) diesel. These alternatives are not derived from petroleum and offer a range of options for diesel fuel production.
Waste Oil Distillation
Another source of diesel fuel is through waste oil distillation, which involves converting used motor oil into diesel. This process includes feeding the oil into a distillation machine, heating it for distillation, cooling it, and purifying the oil colour. This method can produce a high yield of diesel fuel, with applications in diesel generators, trucks, ships, and more.
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Diesel engines and ignition
Diesel engines are internal combustion engines that use compression ignition to ignite the fuel as it is injected into the engine. Unlike gasoline engines, which take a mixture of gas and air, compress it, and ignite it with a spark, diesel engines only compress air. The compressed air, with a temperature above the fuel's ignition point, then spontaneously combusts when fuel is injected.
Rudolf Diesel, inspired by the Carnot cycle's ability to convert heat energy into work, sought to create a highly efficient engine. In his original idea, Diesel proposed that air be compressed to a degree that its temperature would exceed that of combustion. However, this idea was flawed, and he later adopted the constant pressure cycle, which simply required sufficient compression to trigger ignition.
Diesel engines are constructed with compression ratios in the range of 14:1 to 22:1, with some engines employing ratios as high as 25:1. The higher compression ratios in diesel engines, compared to gasoline engines, lead to greater efficiency. This is because diesel engines compress only air, whereas gasoline engines compress a mixture of fuel and air, which limits their compression ratio.
The diesel engine's efficiency is further enhanced by the absence of preignition problems, which are common in spark-ignition engines. This allows diesel engines to operate at higher compression ratios, resulting in higher theoretical cycle efficiencies. Additionally, diesel engines may be turbocharged and aftercooled, further improving their performance and efficiency.
Diesel engines are widely used in freight trucks, large tractors, locomotives, marine vessels, and some automobiles and electric power generator sets. They offer an efficient method of producing power, relying on compression for combustion, resulting in increased fuel efficiency compared to other engine types.
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Diesel fuel alternatives
Diesel fuel is one of the many products created from crude oil. During the refining process, the thick, dark crude oil is transformed into a much lighter diesel fuel. Crude oil is a naturally occurring liquid that can be refined into various fuels and other petroleum-based products.
The process of fractional distillation separates the crude oil solution into various parts or fractions, allowing for the extraction of the correct parts of the liquid to create diesel fuel. The hydrocarbon chains within crude oil come in various lengths, with longer chains having a higher boiling point than shorter ones. The longer chains are more volatile, easily flowing, and easily ignited, making them better for fuel solutions.
However, there are alternatives to diesel fuel that can be used in engines. Renewable diesel, also known as green diesel, is a biomass-derived fuel suitable for use in diesel engines. It is produced from fats and oils, such as soybean or canola oil, and processed to be chemically the same as petroleum diesel. It can be used as a replacement fuel or blended with petroleum diesel. Renewable diesel has the advantage of reducing carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions compared to conventional diesel.
Another alternative fuel is vegetable oil, which can be used in older diesel engines. Biodiesel, a refined form of vegetable oil, is also an option, although it requires work and storage. Additionally, used motor oil can be converted into diesel fuel through a distillation process, providing a wide range of applications and a great sales market.
Other alternative fuels include hydrogen, natural gas, and propane, which can be used in fuel cell electric vehicles, offering potential emissions reduction and cost advantages.
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Frequently asked questions
Diesel fuel is made from crude oil. It can also be made from other sources such as biomass, animal fat, biogas, natural gas, and coal liquefaction.
Crude oil is heated to over 400 degrees Celsius, turning it into vapour. This vapour then enters a fractional distillation tower, where it cools and the hydrocarbon chains within it return to a liquid state. Distillation plates capture the liquids at different levels of the tower. Diesel fuel is created by recombining some of the shorter hydrocarbon chain distillates.
Fractional distillation is the process of separating a solution into various parts, or fractions, based on their different boiling points. The container the heated crude oil enters has several condensers coming off at different heights. Substances with higher boiling points condense at the bottom and those with lower boiling points condense at the top.
